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American Whitewater received the following open letter to boaters from the rangers and staff of the Gauley River National Recreation Area. This letter will keep you up to date on important management actions of the National Park Service on the Gauley River for the 2020 season. It is important to note that the Tailwaters Campground will be closed due to Covid-19 and social distancing concerns. Other private campgrounds in the area may have limitations on camping, so please plan ahead.

UPDATE: CALIFORNIA SCHEDULED RECREATIONAL RELEASES  In California during the midst of COVID 19, American Whitewater has made a commitment to work with local counties, state & federal land management agencies and hydropower utilities to get paddlers the most up to date status of scheduled recreational flows for 2020. Here is the status of scheduled releases for NF Feather Rock Creek, Pit 5 and SF Feather Little Grass Valley. The most up to date information can also be found on our

Gore Fest has the decades-long tradition of hosting one of Colorado’s premiere downriver races. In the past five years it has expanded to include multiple events, bringing together kayakers, rafters, stand-up paddle boarders, families, and river enthusiasts from all over the region to celebrate a cornerstone river in the Colorado whitewater community. Unfortunately, due to concerns surrounding public safety because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have restructured the event to an online format. This decision was not an easy one

With a recent grant from the United States Coast Guard, American Whitewater is launching a project to produce two films on basic whitewater safety. We are issuing this Request for Proposals for assistance in this effort. For details and to submit a proposal please see this document – RFP American Whitewater Basic Whitewater Safety Films 2020 Proposals are due September 11, 2020

Northeast boaters came together to support American Whitewater at the (virtual) Deerfield Fest Membership Event on June 26th . The event celebrated 25 years of whitewater boating on the Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts and featured great music, local legends, awesome giveaways from our industry partners, and updates on our stewardship work in the region. If you missed it check out the archived event video to see all the fun!

Take action to protect instream flows in the Poudre! The Larimer County Commissioners are reviewing the 1041 permit for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) and accepting public comment right now. NISP will remove peak flows from the Poudre River for the next 20-30 years at the mouth of the Poudre Canyon, and disrupt invaluable ecological and recreational resources like the Poudre River Whitewater Park. In late 2019, the City of Fort Collins officially opened the Whitewater Park, and since

Submit your best photos for American Whitewater’s annual calendar! When The deadline is August 14th, 2020. How Via our online submission form. Images must be submitted as high-resolution files (suitable for printing up to 10″, at least 1MB) for inclusion in the calendar, without monetary compensation. Maximum 10 photo entries per person. Who Any and all photographers, from professionals to complete novices. Have you taken a photo before? Then you’re ready. Why First, you’ll get a free copy of the

Today marks the official opening of the new Guy Ford River Access Area on the Watauga River. The paddling community has long sought and can now celebrate permanent public access to the classic Watauga River Gorge which serves as a staple for Class IV+ paddlers throughout the region. American Whitewater owns and manages the Sherwood Horine Takeout thanks to donations and volunteers over many years, and worked closely with the many individuals and organizations that purchased and developed the new

The recently introduced “Hydropower Clean Energy Future Act” by Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) represents a short-sighted effort that would roll back critical river and clean water protections, cut the public out of decision-making in hydropower licensing, and put whitewater rivers at risk. Hydropower has caused immeasurable harm to our nation’s rivers over the past century. American Whitewater has worked to improve river health and enhance opportunities for the public to enjoy rivers impacted by hydropower. In cases where hydropower dams

American Whitewater, along with several other river conservation partners, filed litigation today challenging new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that would limit the ability of states to protect water quality at federally-licensed hydropower and other energy projects. The new rule effectively sidelines the role the states and the public have long played in permitting decisions affecting clean water, undercutting the central role of the states in protecting rivers under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. “These new regulations are

Today, Montana’s Custer-Gallatin National Forest became the most recent National Forest to release their new final management plan. American Whitewater engaged with our partners in Outdoor Alliance Montana, working with local volunteer Chris Ennis, to provide detailed information to the Forest Service on the recreational values and needs. Over the several year long process we shaped a vision for the Forest that was refined and presented to the Forest Service. A central part of that vision for paddlers was a

American Whitewater efforts, funded by a Conservation Alliance grant, to protect the San Joaquin River Gorge received a big boost with news that the proposed Temperance Flat Dam is effectively dead due to its exorbitant cost. This dam proposal threatened to drown 18 miles of river including the entire San Joaquin River Gorge. Proponents of this project had to provide final costs as a condition of receiving $171 million in funds necessary to initiate the project from the Proposition One,

The July/August Issue of the AW Journal is available in our online “Library.” This issue includes a our Annual Report as well as:   The backstory of our Boatable Days methodology for determining recreational instream flows in Colorado and beyond The third part of a packrafting adventure story Pride Day on the river celebration Staff highlight of Northeast Stewardship Director Bob Nasdor And much more!      Current members – Read the issue now!      Not a current member – Join or Renew!

American Whitewater is an organization that prides ourselves on getting work done, both effectively and efficiently. Eighty percent of every dollar we see goes directly to our stewardship work, and in 2019 we succeeded in turning that work into favorable outcomes on projects across the country. For a concise and graphic look at the work we accomplished together last year, check out our 2019 Annual Report.

In June 2020, the Northeast United States celebrated Pride Day on the River – on a variety of rivers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Pride Day on the River transformed to a new form of community building. In keeping with our growing tradition, folks still got out to rivers on Saturday, June 13, 2020. But in light of the times, on this Pride Day the community joined together in spirit to think about and celebrate the lesbian,

The Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District in Gunnison, Colorado is coordinating a Watershed Management Planning effort “to help protect existing water uses and watershed health in the Upper Gunnison Basin in the face of pressure from increased water demands and permanent reductions in water supply.” The current phase is focusing on Tomichi, Cochetopa, Cebolla, Taylor, and the Gunnison River above Blue Mesa. With local stewardship staff in Crested Butte, American Whitewater has joined the Watershed Management Planning Team to help